Living in Kew Gardens: rent, commute and grades

Queens · Updated October 2026

A row of Tudor-style brick shops with steep gables beside a tree and a cyclist on the street.
A curved brick corner building with striped awnings and shops at ground level.
Orange and red autumn trees over a grassy plaza at Newcombe Square.
A green iron subway entrance with globe lamps beside a worn wood-framed building and shops.
A teal subway entrance beside a glass building with pedestrians and a bus passing.
Photo credits

Rent in Kew Gardens

$1,616 a month

Type of homeA room in a 2-bedroom, shared by two

Kew Gardens is cheaper with roommates

Find people looking in Kew Gardens
BOverall

Kew Gardens graded

Grades compare NYC neighborhoods with each other. How the grades work.

Everyday life

  • B-Walkability

    The average home has 4.4 of 5 everyday needs within a 10-minute walk (grocery store, restaurant, cafe, subway station, park) and about 135 places to eat or shop.

    Residents: It is a decent, walkable neighborhood. Resident, Oct 2026

    City data alone would give C; what residents say in 4 Reddit threads moves it to B-.

  • DFood and shopping

    Within a 10-minute walk of the average home: about 34 places to eat, 15 kinds of cuisine, 2.7 large grocery stores and 85 open storefronts.

    Residents: No Trader Joe's close by; reaching one takes the Q54 bus or a bike ride. Resident, Oct 2026

    City data alone would give C; what residents say in 9 Reddit threads moves it to D.

  • B-Parks and green space

    68% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park of an acre or more, with about 725 acres of parkland within 1 km and about 397 street trees within 300 m of the average home.

    Residents: Forest Park has been a great asset for a young family. Parent, Feb 2024

    City data alone would give C+; what residents say in 5 Reddit threads moves it to B-.

People

  • BCommunity

    24% of households moved in since 2018, 9% are roommates sharing a home, 19% of residents are 22 to 34, and there are about 18 cafes and bars within a 10-minute walk of the average home.

    Residents: It feels like a small town where parents walking kids to school greet neighbors who know them. Parent, Aug 2026

  • B-Nightlife

    About 13 bars, clubs and restaurants licensed to serve alcohol on site within a 10-minute walk of the average home.

    Residents: It is suburban and quiet at night, without a cluster of great bars close by. Resident, Feb 2024

    City data alone would give B; what residents say in 4 Reddit threads moves it to B-.

Home and safety

  • A-Safety

    3.1 murders, robberies, felony assaults and burglaries were reported per 1,000 residents in 2025 (75 in all).

    Residents: Coming home late at night, the LIRR station and the streets around it feel safe. Resident, Jul 2026

  • B-Quiet

    34 noise complaints to 311 per 1,000 residents in 2025, not counting helicopter complaints, and counting each address at most 12 days a year. That measures how often people complain, not how loud it is.

    Residents: It is quieter than Bay Ridge. New resident, Oct 2026

    City data and 5 resident threads on Reddit agree on this grade.

  • C-Building upkeep

    23.2 serious housing code violations (class B or C) were issued in 2025 per 100 rented homes, and there were 10.8 heat or hot water complaints per 100 rented homes.

    Residents: Some years bring a surge of pests in building common areas that spreads into apartments. Resident, Oct 2026

Who lives there

  • A mix of ages

What residents say

Residents like

  • Food and shoppingLocal takeout is solid rather than special: decent delivery pizza, good bagels with long lines, and Chinese that is fine locally though Elmhurst is better. Resident, Jun 2026
  • WalkabilityIt is a decent, walkable neighborhood. Resident, Oct 2026
  • QuietIt is a peaceful area, good for long quiet walks. Resident, Jan 2024
  • Parks and green spaceForest Park has been a great asset for a young family. Parent, Feb 2024
  • SafetyComing home late at night, the LIRR station and the streets around it feel safe. Resident, Jul 2026
  • CommunityIt feels like a small town where parents walking kids to school greet neighbors who know them. Parent, Aug 2026

Residents don’t like

  • Food and shoppingNo Trader Joe's close by; reaching one takes the Q54 bus or a bike ride. Resident, Oct 2026
  • QuietLeaf blowers are a constant noise in summer. Parent, Aug 2026
  • Building upkeepSome years bring a surge of pests in building common areas that spreads into apartments. Resident, Oct 2026
  • NightlifeIt is suburban and quiet at night, without a cluster of great bars close by. Resident, Feb 2024
  • Food and shoppingThere are fewer restaurants than in Bay Ridge, though Forest Hills next door has many. New resident, Oct 2026
  • Food and shoppingPlenty of delis but too few sit-down restaurants, the one real drawback of living here. Resident since 2018, Aug 2026
Show 19 moreShow less

Safety

Community

  • Playgrounds and library story time make it easy to meet other parents.

    Parent, Aug 2026

Food and shopping

  • Restaurant choice is narrow, mostly tacos and pizza, and nearby grocery stores are pricey.

    Parent, Aug 2026

  • The restaurant scene is weak and the supermarkets are mediocre.

    Parent, Aug 2026

  • Several new late-night food spots have opened, but good sit-down restaurants are still lacking.

    Resident, Aug 2026

Nightlife

Walkability

  • With a baby, it was easy to walk everywhere.

    Parent, Feb 2024

  • Most shops and services sit on a handful of streets: Metropolitan, Lefferts, Kew Gardens Road, Austin Street and Hillside.

    Resident, Jan 2024

  • Biking from Kew Gardens to the Queensboro Bridge takes 35 to 40 minutes on bike lanes, but drivers cutting across them need watching.

    Resident, Jan 2024

Quiet

Parks and green space

Getting around from Kew Gardens

Map of New York City neighborhoods shaded by travel time by subway or bus from Kew Gardens
By subway or bus, arriving by 9:00 on a weekday:Under 30 min30 to 45 min45 to 60 minOver an hourKew Gardens
  • Briarwood EF
  • Jamaica-Van Wyck E

Residents: The commute into Manhattan was much better than from Bay Ridge. Resident, Oct 2026

Residents: Residents have the E, F and J trains, the LIRR, buses and the Queens Boulevard bike lane within reach. Parent, Aug 2026

What to know about Kew Gardens

  • Kew Gardens grew around a Long Island Rail Road station opened by 1910, and takes its name from the royal botanical gardens at Kew in England. The Mann brothers developed it as a garden suburb over the following thirty years. Source
  • Kew Gardens has a mix of housing: apartments, townhouses and single-family houses from cottages to mansions, mostly in historical revival styles set among lush, suburban greenery. Source
  • The neighborhood's commercial heart was built as a neo-Tudor village center around the train station, with stores on the ground floor and apartments above, and the original streets wind with the lay of the land under rows of pin oaks. Source
  • Lefferts Boulevard crosses the Long Island Rail Road beside the Kew Gardens station on a bridge lined with mom-and-pop shops. In 2018 the MTA dropped a plan to raze the two retail buildings and agreed to repair the platforms under them instead, after a campaign by residents and lawmakers. Source
  • The Ralph Bunche House at 115-24 Grosvenor Road, a neo-Tudor house built in 1927, was home to the Nobel Peace Prize winner and United Nations Under Secretary-General from 1952. The city made it a landmark in 2005. Source
  • Queens Borough Hall, home of the Queens Borough President's office, stands at 120-55 Queens Boulevard in Kew Gardens. Source
  • Forest Park forms the western edge of Kew Gardens; the neighborhood is bounded by the Jackie Robinson Parkway and Queens Boulevard on the north, Kew Gardens Road on the east and Myrtle Avenue on the south. Source

More of Kew Gardens

Moving to Kew Gardens? Find a roommate who wants to live there too.

Free on iPhone and Android, at 800+ colleges and in NYC.

Scan to get Bunky

Free onApp StoreGoogle Play

Check it out on the App StoreCheck it out on Google Play
App StoreGoogle Play

Free on iPhone and Android

More NYC neighborhoods

Queens

45 neighborhoods

Manhattan

30 neighborhoods

Brooklyn

40 neighborhoods

The Bronx

35 neighborhoods

Staten Island

16 neighborhoods

See every neighborhood on the map

Sources

Facts about Kew Gardens:

Data behind the grades: